Finland rated No. 1 in world for happiness

HELSINKI — Finland has topped an index of the happiest nations for the second consecutive year, with researchers saying the small Nordic country of 5.5 million has succeeded in generating a happiness recipe for a balanced life not simply dependent on economic and material wealth.

The World Happiness Report, produced by the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network, ranks 156 countries by how happy their citizens see themselves to be.

It’s based on factors including economic wealth, life expectancy, social support, freedom to make life choices and levels of government corruption.

The index, published Wednesday, showed the other Nordic countries did well again this year, with Denmark, Norway and Iceland taking the next three spots. The other top 10 nations were the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada and Austria.

The United States dropped from the 18th to 19th place, despite enjoying a booming economy in the past few years.

The 134-page report noted that, in general, happiness levels have decreased worldwide, despite continued economic growth. That’s partly explained by “dramatic falls” in happiness in population-dense countries like the United States, Egypt and India, the report said.

“The worldwide tendency of a considerable decline in average happiness, despite the general growth in GDP per capita, is proof that measuring happiness and life satisfaction in terms of economic wealth alone is not at all sufficient,” said Meik Wiking, CEO of think tank The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark, who took part in the report.

The report was compiled by prominent economists John F. Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey D. Sachs.